Growing Organic Vegetables At Home - Planting Guide

Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Hello gardeners, we are here with a new topic called growing vegetables organically in the backyard. Who doesn’t want to have vegetables organically? Everyone wants to have healthy and organic veggies. So, if you want to grow vegetables organically in your backyard then follow this complete article to know in detail.

Introduction to Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

You have been trying to eat more organic foods, to decrease the number of pesticides you and your family consume, and to help protect the environment. But you need to take one look at your grocery store receipt and you know that buying organic can even get very expensive, very fast. Luckily, there is a way to grow your own delicious and fresh produce while having fun and learning at the same time that is organic vegetable gardening.

A Step By Step Guide for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Growing your organic vegetables is a very great way to ensure you have healthy foods for your favourite recipes. When you grow organic veggies, you will not be able to treat them with chemicals or herbicides, so you will need to be more mindful of any pests. If you want to start an organic vegetable garden, then select a suitable spot in your backyard where you can dig a plot or build a raised bed. Next, better to prepare your soil and plant your veggies. As your plants grow, keep them very healthy with organic pest control.

Choosing Location for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Select a location with ample sunlight and with the proper drainage system. Check your backyard at different times of the day to observe the placement of the sun. Put your garden in an area that is fully exposed to sunlight for at least six hours throughout the day. Additionally, you need to evaluate the location’s drainage system by checking for standing water.

Be sure the spot gets partial shade if you live in a very hot area.

To see if your plot has a proper drainage system, check it after it rains to see if water pools around it. Standing water means that the plot or place doesn’t have good drainage. If it hasn’t rained in a while, spray the area with a gardening hose for 5 minutes, and then check to see if the water soaks in or pools.

Testing Soil for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Better test your soil’s pH and amend it if necessary. Get the pH testing strips from any local gardening store or online. Collect a sample of your soil in a cup, and then add distilled water to the soil and stir it well. Insert a test strip into the mixture and then hold it there for 20-30 seconds. At last, remove the strip and then check it against the kit’s key. If necessary, you need to add supplements to your soil to bring it within the range of 5.5-7.0.

Vegetables grow well and best when their soil pH is 5.5-7.0.

If your soil’s pH is below 5.5, then add dolomite or quicklime to boost the pH. Mix it into the soil as directed on the package, and then retest the pH level.

If your soil’s pH is above 7.0, then mix additional organic matter into the soil to lower it.

Planting Tips for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

You can plant directly into the ground if you have very good drainage and pH level. If you have good-quality soil that drains very well, then it is easiest to plant your garden directly into the ground. To get started, pull out and discard weeds. Then, better to remove any existing vegetation, like grass, by digging it up with your shovel and by putting it in your compost pile. Once your plot is just dirt, it is ready for planting.

If you would like to plant directly into the ground but don’t want to use your existing soil, you can dig out the plot and then replace it with organic soil. Use a shovel to remove at least 1 foot or 0.30 m of soil from your plot. Then, pour the organic soil into the plot to use for your planting bed. You can buy organic soil at any local gardening store or online.

Build a raised garden bed if you want to improve your plot’s drainage system. If you plan to plant your garden on land that is a little bit soggy, raised beds are a good and great option. First, dig out about 1 to 2 inches or 2.5 to 5.1 cm of soil in the shape of your plot. Then, you need to place pieces of wood along the edge of your plot to create a box shape. Next, add organic soil to the box for planting veggies.

Raised beds can be made from materials like cedar, which is the best and natural insect repellent.

Preparing Soil for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Better to mix organic matter into your soil to fertilize it, if you prefer. Replace up to half of your soil with organic matter if you want to add some more nutrients. With the help of a shovel to remove the existing soil, and then spread the organic matter over the soil. You can even add fertilizer to gardens planted directly into the ground (if the already existing soil has a healthy pH), raised beds.

Very good options include peat moss, manure, or even compost. You can easily buy these at your local gardening store or online.

Choose Organic Vegetable Seeds for Growing In Backyard

Go and get organic vegetable seeds from any farmer’s market, gardening store, or even online. Better to check the label on the seeds to make sure it says organic. This means the vegetable seeds came from organic plants that were grown without pesticides, herbicides, and even non-organic fertilizers. If you are unsure about your selection, ask the person who is selling them if they are organic.

Organic plants can be very difficult to find locally in some areas. Many nurseries use fertilizers and pesticides, so be sure to ask them.

seeds 1302793 1280 — Choosing Seeds (Image credit: pixabay)

Suitable Vegetables to Grow In Backyard Organically

Beans
Squash (summer and winter)
Onions and leeks
Peppers
Garlic
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Lettuce
Peas
Eggplant
Okra

These are some basic and fast-growing vegetables. You can even plant other vegetables.

Planting Procedure for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Vegetable Seedlings (pic source: pixabay)

It is quite better to plant your seeds or seedlings outdoors after the last frost of spring. Sprinkle the seedlings over the soil in your plot or in the gardening containers, then add thin layers of organic topsoil over them. If you’re using seedlings, use a small shovel to dig out about 2 to 3 inches or 5.1 to 7.6cms of soil, and then place the seedlings into it. Cover the roots with the soil, but don’t pack it down.

If you want to plant from seed, then you may need to thin out your plants once they sprout. However, it’s unlikely that all of your seeds may sprout, so it’s best to sprinkle or sow a lot of seeds.

Label your plants, if you want to. Print the names of your plants on the garden stakes or Popsicle sticks. Then, place each stake or Popsicle stick near the correct order of plants.

Cover the soil with 1 to 2 inches or 2.5 to 5.1 cm of organic mulch to limit the weed growth. Mulch is a great option for preventing weed growth, preserving moisture, and keeping your plants warm. Add a very thin layer of mulch over your entire plot after you finish planting your seeds or seedlings. Your seeds will still sprout through the mulch.

Great options for mulch include straw, cocoa hulls, or even shredded newspaper.

Always check the label on your mulch to form sure it’s organic. You’ll buy organic mulch at your local gardening store or online.

You need to water your seeds or seedlings immediately after you plant them. Use a watering pot or hose to spray your plot or containers until the soil looks damp. Then, feel the soil together with your hand to form sure it feels moist. Don’t add such a lot of water that it pools on top of the soil.

If you planted your garden in containers, it’s normal to ascertain tons of the water effuses of rock bottom of the pots.

Water Requirement for Growing Organic Vegetables At Home

Water your vegetable plants in the morning so the excess water evaporates. Although your plants need water, too much water can even be harmful. This is especially very true if the water sits on the plant leaves. For best and better results, water your vegetable plants most mornings so that the sun can evaporate the excess water during the early morning hours and afternoon sun.

You can even skip watering your plants if the soil already feels moist or the weather is rainy.

In case if you miss this: Growing Onions In Greenhouse.

Fertilizers for Growing Organic Vegetables at Home

Bird and animal manures

It is a good supplement source and crammed with microorganisms. It is ought to be very much matured or treated the soil before applying straightforwardly to the vegetable garden.

Blood meal

It is the slow-release wellspring of nitrogen in addition to other minerals. Apply not long before planting and then use sparingly.

Fish meal/emulsion

It is the source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It is released very rapidly.

Greensand

It is very rich in potassium and various micronutrients. It can be easily utilized to loosen and relax clay soils. You need to apply 5-10 lbs. for every 100 square feet.

Shellfish meal

It is the strong wellspring of calcium (23%), nitrogen, phosphorus, and even micronutrients. It is utilized to restrain the root-hitch nematodes.

Liquid Fertilizers for Growing Organic Vegetables at Home

Liquid seaweed

Liquid seaweed is a standout fertilizer among other organic fertilizers you can use in your vegetable garden. Most seaweed-based fertilizers are produced by using kelp. It contains nearly more than 50 nutrients and amino acids.

Liquid seaweed can even be utilized as a seed vaccinate to build seed germination.

Fish emulsion

Fish emulsion is one of the preferred organic fertilizers to use in your vegetable garden. You can use it on everything from seedlings to develop plants to keep them growing great through the late spring.

One of my preferred approaches to utilize the fish emulsion manure is to fill the planting opening with it when transplanting seedlings into the vegetable garden.

Blood meal

Adding a blood meal to your vegetable garden is an extraordinary method to give nitrogen to your vegetable plants. You can blend it in with your compost when you top dress the garden in the spring and you can add more to the vegetable garden every month through the growing season.

Applying Liquid Fertilizers for Vegetable Plants

You need to always adhere to label instructions.

You can use a surfactant which means coconut oil or mild soap 1/4 tsp. per gallon of spray to help get the good and best coverage.

Check the spray’s pH marginally acidic manure that is 6.0-6.5 is very ideal (lower pH with vinegar).

You can use a spray mister with the best fog conceivable.

You need to spray until liquid trickles off the leaves, and make sure to spray the underside of leaves where pores are well on the way to be open.

Spray it in the early morning or late night for best absorption.

You can use water liquid fertilizers around the roots of plants.

When to Fertilize Your Vegetable Garden

You may need to fertilize only 1-2 times the complete growing season, if at all. The big clues are listed below:

1) Poor plant growth

2) Yellow foliage

Tips and Techniques of Growing Organic Vegetables at Home

You need to weed the plot at least once a week. Better to do a visual inspection to check your plot for weeds. If you see any weeds, pull them immediately. Do your best to pull all of the weeds from your garden before they grow enough to start producing seeds.

You should not put weeds in your compost, as they will contaminate the compost with seeds.

Control pests by attracting helpful insects. Add plants that attract all the insects around the border of your plot. Common varieties include daisies, marigolds, and bachelor’s buttons, sunflowers, lemon balm, parsley, and even alyssum. Additionally, you can place rocks and stepping stones near your garden to give bugs lots of places to hide. The insects will snack on the pests that might ruin your plants.

For instance, ladybugs and even ground beetles are especially helpful for controlling pests.

Keep pesticides, herbicides, and even inorganic fertilizers away from your plants. Organic gardens will not use any pesticides, herbicides, or inorganic fertilizers, so you will need to be vigilant about what you use. While this might feel like a lot of work at first, then you will get the hang of it once you gain some experience. Better trust your organic fertilizer, hand-pulling of weeds, and friendly insects to keep your vegetable garden going strong.

Harvesting Organic Vegetables

When harvesting organic vegetables, you are looking for ripeness. Ripeness will involve all of your senses that are from smelling and tapping on melons to eyeballing your peas for that just-so-plumpness.

The when and how to harvest vegetables is unique to each plant. Beans and peas, for instance, will be harvested when the pods are full but not burgeoning, and while dark green and not fading in colour.

Onions will be harvested when their tops fall over and they begin to yellow. Dig up the onions and then allow drying or curing for several days then cut off the tops and store in a cool and dry area.

Other veggies will be harvested when they reach their mature size. These include root crops, winter squash, and even eggplant.

Growing Organic Vegetables At Home – Planting Guide

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